


A Prelude to Rescuing a Stubborn Bastard

by anotherfirename



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Reunion, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2015-10-03
Packaged: 2018-06-08 18:47:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6869101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anotherfirename/pseuds/anotherfirename
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A fugitive mage reaches out to an old abandoned friend for help saving a more recent and less abandoned friend. What results is a strained and overdue reunion, but Anders argues that he had no choice because there are few people in the world he can still trust. He just doesn't want to admit that he misses her.</p>
<p>Featuring my Warden-Commander by the name of Clarathea Tabris.<br/>Takes place somewhat nebulously between the end of Inquisition's main game and the Trespasser DLC.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Prelude to Rescuing a Stubborn Bastard

Few people are brave enough or foolish enough to travel further west beyond Orlais and the Anderfels, and even fewer survive the journey. But for someone who is searching for answers or solitude travelling west can be a promising start. Under the cover of a forgotten forest Anders shoves another log into the campfire and doesn’t look up when someone sits down on the other side.

“By the Maker how did you even get that message to me?” the newcomer asks as she pulls her bow over her shoulder and lays it down on the ground beside her. “Aren’t you still Thedas’ most wanted or something?”

The mage thinks he knows what to expect if he were to actually look at the person sitting across the fire. He would see an elven woman who is short in stature and slight in build with short black hair and wide brown eyes. She would be dressed in blue and grey armour with heraldry featuring paired griffons emblazoned on her chest. Anders looks up quickly enough to confirm his mental image while still avoiding her steady gaze on him, but long enough to note the new worry lines that have joined the familiar black tattoos across her face.

“A lot of mages still believe in what I did,” Anders says with as little emotion as he can manage. “They said they would get my message to Bethany who must have passed it on to you. She is her sister after all. Regardless of how she feels about me or what I did, she’s all she has left.”

“Using my own Wardens against me,” the Warden-Commander muses. “How clever. Or Howe clever I should say. Actually it was Nathaniel who gave me the message in the end.”

“Nathaniel’s still hanging around? Guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“Of course Nathaniel’s still around. He was looking after Vigil’s Keep for me while I was out this way searching for a cure for the Calling. Not that I’m going to be adventuring for much longer if this stupid leg keeps slowing me down.”

“What happened to your leg?” Anders asks as he briefly shifts from wary outlaw to devoted healer.

“I fucked it up,” the Warden replies more casually than the mage thinks she should.

“Do you want to elaborate on that statement? I am still a healer, you know. I might be able to help.”

“I fucked it up in the Deep Roads.”

“That’s…still not specific but also not surprising.”

“You can have a look at it if you want, but I don’t know if there’s much helping it anymore.”

When Anders doesn’t answer and the conversation falls to silence Warden-Commander Clarathea Tabris sighs and slowly shifts closer to the mage who says nothing as he watches her awkward progress out of the corner of his eye.

“Hey,” the elf greets once she’s sitting next to him. “And hey to you too, Justice.”

“Justice and I are one person now,” Anders says. “It’s not me and him anymore, it’s just us.”

Clarathea is about to comment but instead pauses and frowns at the mage.

“It’s just us?” she echoes. “Was that intentional?”

Anders shrugs, but there is a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. The Warden-Commander smacks him in the shoulder with the back of her hand.

“Ass,” she says. “And it was a stretch. But as I was going to say before I was interrupted by your terrible puns, I’ll believe it when I see it. Also…You know it wasn’t my idea, right? Agreeing to let the Templars watch you?”

Anders is silent as stares into the campfire. Harsh shadows play across his face, and Clarathea watches carefully for any hint of emotion before joining him.

“When they said I had to go to Weisshaupt I didn’t know that would happen when I was gone,” she continues. “But those are just excuses, not answers. I was a shit commander who didn’t know what she was doing, and you paid the price for that. I’m sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Anders says quietly. “If anything I’m the one who should be sorry. You believed in me, and I threw it all back in your face. I don’t regret what I did, but I regret that I had to hurt my friends along the way.”

“Then I guess we both fucked up. And it’s okay. I’m just glad you’re not face down in the dirt with a knife in your back. Surprised, but glad.”

“You and me both.”

Clarathea looks at the ex-Warden and notices that this time the humour is more forced. His expression is strained like he’s still practicing at looking relieved.

She takes a deep breath to steady her nerves before saying, “So what’s the plan?”

“You know about the Breach?”

“No, I’ve been living under a rock for the last few years. Well, actually that’s not entirely inaccurate now that I think about it. But yes, of course I know about the Breach.”

“The Inquisition said that Hawke was trapped in the Fade, but not just her mind. She physically went into the Fade, and knowing her she’s still there fighting. Normally I’d say that’s impossible, but with the Breach and the rifts it’s not just possible. It’s happened. And more than that, there are ways to return.”

“I know, but Alistair told me that the Inquisitor sealed the rift they escaped through.”

“But there are still others that haven’t been sealed. The Inquisitor is good, but she’s only one person.”

“This is a lot to take on faith, Anders. Are you sure about this?”

“When I heard about Hawke I started to do research of my own. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. And it led me to a mage who devoted his whole life studying the Fade. I explained what I wanted to do, and he helped me put this whole plan together.”

With every word the mage gets more and more animated, even looking up every so often to see if the Warden is still paying attention.

“And you trust him?” the woman asks when she thinks she can get a word in.

“To be honest?” the mage says. “I’m not sure. But he seemed to know what he was talking about, and it’s all I’ve got.”

“Maker’s breath, Anders. You are a headache sometimes, you know that?”

Clarathea is about to add something but hesitates when she realizes that Anders didn’t take the statement like she thought he would. He returns to staring into the fire, and she reminds herself that he isn’t the same man she knew at Vigil’s Keep no matter how much she wishes otherwise.

“I knew her, actually,” the Warden-Commander says quietly.

“Wait, what?” Anders asks, head snapping up to look at her. “You knew Hawke?”

“I mean we met a few times. I didn’t really know her, not in the way you did. She reached out to Bethany who reached out to Nathaniel who reached out to Alistair about the red lyrium. Then later on Alistair introduced us and the rest is our mabari playing together. She seemed very…angry.”

“That sounds like Hawke. Speaking of Alistair, I’m surprised the Templar didn’t come with you. Meeting in secret with Thedas’ most wanted apostate in the dead of night? How scandalous.”

“First of all, taking fairly recent events into consideration are you really in a position to be making Templar jokes? Second of all, how many times do I have to tell you that he never actually took his vows and was therefore never actually a Templar? Third of all, yeah I know. He’s not happy after what happened the last time we went on our separate adventures, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the same way. But someone has to help rebuild after the Corypheus catastrophe. Either way we should probably hurry this whole thing up.”

“Yes. Sorry. I know you have Wardens to lead and a home to go back to.”

Clarathea wants to say that they would have him back if he wanted it, but no matter how much she means it she knows that it would cause more trouble for Anders if he accepts and more pain if he doesn’t so she holds her tongue.

“I didn’t come here alone by the way,” she says instead. “He insisted that he help, and I insisted that I meet with you alone first. He’ll be along soon. And don’t bicker. Bethany says you two bicker.”

Realization dawns on Anders and he buries his face in his arms with a loud groan.

“For the love of Andraste, Commander!” he exclaims in a muffled voice. “You can’t be serious!”

“What, you wanted me to just ditch him in the mountains?” the Clarathea asks, and without much of the gentleness she showed before. “Come on, Anders. Don’t be a jackass.”

“And what do you think Fenris is going to be able to do? He’s not a mage, and he hates mages. Especially me. He’d never agree to this. Plus are we supposed to just babysit him in the Fade? The last time he was there a demon got to him and he turned against Hawke. At least I’m relatively safe with Justice tagging along.”

“I’m not a mage either, and yet here I am.”

“Yes, but you’re stubborn.”

“Okay, fair point. But are you trying to tell me that Fenris isn’t? Because I have to disagree.”

“You couldn’t have just brought a bear? It’d be more agreeable at least.”

“I don’t need to bring a bear, Anders. Whenever I need a bear all I have to do is call and one will come.”

“That’s…Actually, I’m not going to comment on that.”

“But you know, I was told once that the Fade answers to what you desire.”

“That is generally how demons work, yes.”

Anders scowls when the Warden sticks her tongue out at him.

“I’m just saying,” the woman says when she’s done. “And he does love her. As far as I’m concerned that’s reason enough to let him try. That and it’s a little too late to ditch him. One, it’d be extremely rude and I’m not sure I’m capable of it. Two, it turns out he’s actually a pretty good tracker. I don’t think we could ditch him if we tried.”

“Maker, fine,” Anders says. “But you have to make sure he doesn’t kill me in my sleep.”

“Only if you behave.”

Clarathea grins when she realizes that she has finally earned an honest smile from her old friend. Except joy turns to panic when the smile fades and she watches as Anders struggles for his next words.

“I’m sorry about all this by the way,” he says after an extended silence. “I can’t deny that you’re useful to have around, but you’re also the only one I could trust.”

“I know,” Clarathea admits sadly. “But I’m here now, and I’m all in. It’s not quite like old times, but I’ll take what I can get.”

“Then I’ll try not to get the famed Hero of Ferelden, slayer of the Archdemon and vanquisher of the Fifth Blight, killed out in the middle of nowhere. But thank you. I don’t think I say that as much as I should.”

Now it’s the Warden’s turn to search for words, and when she finds none Anders reaches out and places a hand on the woman’s leg where it’s been strapped into a metal brace. When magic pulses up through her body the constant pain eases for a rare moment, and Clarathea knows from experience that her heartbeat is already slowing to match his. She rests her head against his shoulder and closes her eyes.


End file.
